Overview

• Rory McIlroy left his driver in the locker and used irons off the tee throughout an opening-round 69 in his first competitive start in India.
• Japan’s Keita Nakajima led early with a seven-under 65 built on eight birdies and one bogey, leaving McIlroy four shots back.
• Delhi Golf Club’s Lodhi course plays under 7,000 yards with fairways averaging about 25 yards wide and a 16th-hole chute near 14 yards, punishing misses into dense vegetation.
• The DP World India Championship features a star field including Tommy Fleetwood, Viktor Hovland, Shane Lowry, Brian Harman and Ben Griffin, with 26 Indian players in the draw and a record $4 million purse for a DP World Tour event in India.
• McIlroy said recent Ryder Cup crowd abuse has distracted from Europe’s away victory and urged a refocus on the team’s performance.